Chippewa, Delta counties among those to see road improvements

Two Upper Peninsula counties are going to see some roads upgraded to all-season, with the goal of boosting economic growth and supporting business year-round.

Chippewa and Delta counties are among eight Michigan counties getting road upgrade funds totaling $2.75 million in state funding from the Michigan Department of Transportation.

The rating upgrade on the chosen roads is targeted to commercial shipping and manufacturing, because when a road is classified seasonal, weight restrictions put a damper on access to shipping and trucking for part of the year. MDOT hopes to help companies compete and thrive with all-season roads. To be eligible, the county, city or village road agencies receiving the funds must be in counties with populations of 400,000 or less.

"This funding will help improve all-season commercial routes that link current and future manufacturers to state roads," says State Transportation Director Kirk Steudle. "MDOT is pleased to partner with cities and county road commissions to provide continuous, all-season access to commercial routes and keep goods moving across Michigan."

Chippewa County will see two projects. The Chippewa County Road Commission will resurface and improve Riverside Drive from 3 Mile Road to 4 Mile Road, which connects Soo Township with the city of Sault Ste. Marie. It will cost $405,313 and $324,250 of that will come from the state.

Then, the city of Sault Ste. Marie will resurface Spruce Street from west of Pine Street to West Portage Avenue, an important east-west commercial route. It will cost $387,000 with $309,600 of that coming from the state.

In Delta County, the city of Gladstone will resurface North 9th Street from North 5th Street to North Lakeshore Drive. It will connect the commercial and industrial areas of Gladstone with U.S. 2 and U.S. 41. The $85,800 project will get $68,640 of the cost from the state.

Another $1.8 million is going into the projects from various local matching funds. The other counties receiving funding are Ingham, Ionia, Muskegon, Otsego, Ottawa and Washtenaw counties. Those improvements include road reconstruction, resurfacing, widening and intersection upgrades.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Kirk Steudle, Michigan Department of Transportation